Asa Briggs Character Analysis in Monster

Asa Briggs is James King’s defense attorney. Briggs is an older man who often looks tired and seems to know that he is in a doomed position—King is obviously a criminal figure and nearly impossible to defend, especially since he is almost certainly guilty of Mr. Nesbitt’s murder. Briggs won’t even let King speak for himself, because he knows he would incriminate himself immediately. However, Briggs still makes his attempt to defend King and is often antagonistic to Petrocelli’s leading questions, pointing out that they are fundamentally unjust. In his closing statement, Briggs argues that King is not guilty of the murder, even though he obviously is, thus demonstrating that court trials are not so much a pursuit of the truth as a contest between lawyers over who can argue and manipulate evidence the best.

Asa Briggs Quotes in Monster

The Monster quotes below are all either spoken by Asa Briggs or refer to Asa Briggs. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

[O’Brien] said that Bobo’s testimony hurt us a lot and that she had to find a way to separate me from King, but King’s lawyer wanted to make sure the jury connected us because I looked like a pretty decent guy.

Related Characters: Steve Harmon (speaker), James King, Richard “Bobo” Evans, Kathy O’Brien, Asa Briggs

Page Number and Citation: 201

Explanation and Analysis:

There are a lot of things you can do with film, but you don’t have unlimited access to your audience. In other words, keep it simple. You tell the story; you don’t look for the camera technician to tell the story for you. When you see a filmmaker getting too fancy, you can bet he’s worried either about his story or about his ability to tell it.

Related Characters: Mr. Sawicki (speaker), Steve Harmon, James King, Asa Briggs

Page Number and Citation: 214

Explanation and Analysis:

If you don’t testify, you’ll just make the tie between you and King stronger in the mind of the jury. I think you have to testify. And the way you spend the rest of your youth might well depend on how much the jury believes you.

Related Characters: Kathy O’Brien (speaker), Steve Harmon, James King, Asa Briggs

Page Number and Citation: 216

Explanation and Analysis:

Asa Briggs Character Timeline in Monster

The timeline below shows where the character Asa Briggs appears in Monster. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...The judge enters, a 60-year-old man who already looks bored. King and his attorney Asa Briggs are seated at the other defendant’s table, and Petrocelli is ready to begin. The judge... (full context)

...Petrocelli’s argument is deeply flawed and does not implicate Steve in any crime at all. Briggs makes his opening remarks, arguing that the witnesses Petrocelli will build her case on are... (full context)

...cigarettes missing. Petrocelli notes that Delgado is a competitive martial artist, well-known in his neighborhood. Briggs challenges Delgado’s medical expertise to so quickly know that Nesbitt was dead, but O’Brien makes... (full context)

Salvatore Zinzi takes the stand next. Questioned by Petrocelli—whom Briggs accuses of asking leading questions—Zinzi states that he is an inmate at Riker’s Island, serving... (full context)

Back in the courtroom, Briggs questions Bolden, pointing out that it seems strange that Bobo Evans would just admit to... (full context)

In the courtroom, Briggs presses Karyl on why they couldn’t find any fingerprints or actual clues. Karyl insists that... (full context)

...who has a violent reputation. Petrocelli keeps asking leading questions, which both the judge and Briggs criticize. Osvaldo continues that he was afraid of Steve and King, as well. When Briggs... (full context)

...scared of Bobo. The government is cutting him a deal in exchange for his testimony. Briggs takes his turn, insinuating that Osvaldo is lying under oath, testifying so the district attorney... (full context)

After Petrocelli is through, Briggs questions Henry, stating that she was given around 20 photographs of different people from which... (full context)

...Evans in as a witness. Bobo is large, unkempt, and wearing a wrinkled orange jumpsuit. Briggs calls a sidebar to ask why Bobo wasn’t given a suit to wear, since his... (full context)

Briggs questions Bobo, pointing out that so far, he’s the only person who has admitted to... (full context)

...is worried about their defense; she says that Bobo’s testimony looks bad for Steve, and Briggs is going to try to attach King to Steve because Steve looks like a decent... (full context)

The screenplay resumes inside the courtroom. King’s cousin is on the stand. Briggs questions her, and she testifies that King was at her house on the afternoon of... (full context)

Briggs brings another witness to testify that King is left-handed and Mr. Nesbitt was shot from... (full context)

...possible, since that is Petrocelli’s strongest argument for Steve’s supposed guilt. O’Brien is confident that Briggs won’t let King testify, because King blatantly lied in his statement to the police when... (full context)

...every day of Christmas break. Multiple times, Petrocelli asks illegitimate leading questions, prompting rebuke from Briggs, O’Brien, and the judge who warns her to stop. Petrocelli ends her questioning, “satisfied.” Steve... (full context)

Back in the courtroom, Briggs makes his closing argument for the defense of James King. Briggs argues that Petrocelli’s prosecution... (full context)

Briggs thus argues that King did not enter the store with Bobo; Osvaldo did. One of... (full context)